[IMP] accounting: update page with 18.0 updates on lock dates

task-4276637

closes odoo/documentation#13320

Signed-off-by: Anne-Françoise Marcq (afma) <afma@odoo.com>

content/applications/finance/accounting/reporting/year_end.rst

@@ -5,48 +5,54 @@ Year-end closing
 Year-end closing is vital for maintaining financial accuracy, complying with regulations, making
 informed decisions, and ensuring transparency in reporting.
 
+.. seealso::
+   :doc:`Tax return <tax_returns>`
+
 .. _year-end/fiscal-years:
 
 Fiscal years
 ============
 
-By default, the fiscal year is set to last 12 months and end on December 31st. However, its duration
-and end date can vary due to cultural, administrative, and economic considerations.
+By default, the fiscal year is set to last 12 months and ends on December 31st. However, its
+duration and end date can vary due to cultural, administrative, and economic considerations.
 
 To modify these values, go to :menuselection:`Accounting --> Configuration --> Settings`. Under the
 :guilabel:`Fiscal Periods` section, change the :guilabel:`Last Day` field if necessary.
 
 If the period lasts *more* than or *less* than 12 months, enable :guilabel:`Fiscal Years` and
-:guilabel:`Save`. Go back to the :guilabel:`Fiscal Periods` section and click :guilabel:`➜ Fiscal
-Years`. From there, click :guilabel:`Create`, give it a :guilabel:`Name`, and both a
+:guilabel:`Save`. Go back to the :guilabel:`Fiscal Periods` section and click :icon:`oi-arrow-right`
+:guilabel:`Fiscal Years`. Then, click :guilabel:`New`, give it a :guilabel:`Name` and both a
 :guilabel:`Start Date` and :guilabel:`End Date`.
 
 .. note::
-   Once the set fiscal period is over, Odoo automatically reverts to the default periodicity, taking
-   into account the value specified in the :guilabel:`Last Day` field.
+   Once the set fiscal period is over, Odoo automatically reverts to the default periodicity,
+   considering the value specified in the :guilabel:`Last Day` field.
 
 .. _year-end/checklist:
 
 Year-end checklist
 ==================
 
+.. _year-end/before-closure:
+
 Before closure
 --------------
 
-Before closing a fiscal year, ensure first everything is accurate and up-to-date:
+Before closing a fiscal year, ensure that everything is accurate and up-to-date:
 
 - Make sure all bank accounts are fully :doc:`reconciled <../bank/reconciliation>` up to year-end,
   and confirm that the ending book balances match the bank statement balances.
-- Verify that all :doc:`customer invoices <../customer_invoices>` have been entered and
-  approved and that there are no draft invoices.
-- Confirm that all :doc:`vendor bills  <../vendor_bills>` have been entered and agreed upon.
-- Validate all :doc:`expenses <../../expenses>`, ensuring their accuracy.
-- Corroborate that all :doc:`received payments <../payments>` have been encoded and recorded
-  accurately.
+- Verify that all :doc:`customer invoices <../customer_invoices>` have been created and
+  confirmed and that there are no draft invoices.
+- Confirm that all :doc:`vendor bills  <../vendor_bills>` have been created and confirmed.
+- Ensure the accuracy of all :doc:`expenses <../../expenses>` and validate them.
+- Check that all :doc:`received payments <../payments>` have been encoded and confirmed.
 - Close all :ref:`suspense accounts <accounting/bank/suspense>`.
 - Book all :doc:`depreciation <../vendor_bills/assets>` and :doc:`deferred revenue
   <../customer_invoices/deferred_revenues>` entries.
 
+.. _year-end/closing-a-fiscal-year:
+
 Closing a fiscal year
 ---------------------
 
@@ -60,9 +66,9 @@ Then, to close the fiscal year:
   - Reconcile all transactions in the cash and bank accounts by running the :ref:`aged receivables
     <accounting/reporting/aged-receivable>` and :ref:`aged payables
     <accounting/reporting/aged-payable>` reports.
-  - Audit all accounts, being sure to fully understand all transactions and their nature, making
-    sure to include loans and fixed assets.
-  - Optionally, :ref:`match payments <accounting/payments/auto-reconcile-tool>` to validate any open
+  - Audit all accounts, fully understanding all transactions and their nature, including :doc:`loans
+    <../bank/loans>` and :doc:`fixed assets <../vendor_bills/assets>`.
+  - Optionally, :ref:`match payments <accounting/payments/payments-matching>` to validate any open
     vendor bills and customer invoices with their payments. While this step is optional, it could
     assist the year-end closing process if all outstanding payments and invoices are reconciled,
     potentially finding errors or mistakes in the system.
@@ -76,40 +82,69 @@ Next, the accountant likely verifies balance sheet items and book entries for:
   - tax adjustments,
   - etc.
 
-If the accountant is going through the year-end audit, they may want to have paper copies of all
-balance sheet items (such as loans, bank accounts, prepayments, sales tax statements, etc.) to
-compare these with the balances in Odoo.
+During the year-end audit, the accountant may print paper copies of all balance sheet items (e.g.,
+loans, bank accounts, prepayments, sales tax statements) to compare them against the balances
+recorded in Odoo.
 
 .. tip::
-   During this process, it is good practice to set a :guilabel:`Journal Entries Lock Date` to the
-   last day (inclusive) of the preceding fiscal year by going to :menuselection:`Accounting -->
-   Accounting --> Lock Dates`. This way, the accountant can be confident that nobody changes the
-   transactions while auditing the books. Users from the *accountant* access group can still create
-   and modify entries.
+   As part of this process, setting a :ref:`Lock Everything <year-end/lock-everything-date>` date to
+   the last day (inclusive) of the preceding fiscal year is good practice. This ensures that journal
+   entries with an accounting date on or before the lock date cannot be created or modified during
+   the audit. Users with *administrator* access rights can still create and edit entries if an
+   exception is configured.
+
+.. _year-end/lock-everything-date:
+
+Lock everything date
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Setting a lock date prevents modifications to any posted journal entries with an accounting date on
+or before the lock date. It also prevents posting new entries with an accounting date on or before
+the lock date. In such cases, the system automatically sets the accounting date to the day after the
+lock date.
+
+To set a :guilabel:`Lock Everything` date, go to :menuselection:`Accounting --> Accounting --> Lock
+Dates`. In the :guilabel:`Lock Journal Entries` window, set the :guilabel:`Lock Everything` date and
+:guilabel:`Save`.
+
+.. note::
+   Users with :guilabel:`Administrator` access rights to the Accounting app can create exceptions.
+   To do so:
+
+   #. After setting the :guilabel:`Lock Everything` date, reopen the :guilabel:`Lock Journal
+      Entries` window and remove the :guilabel:`Lock Everything` date.
+   #. In the :guilabel:`Exception` banner, choose if this exception should be set :guilabel:`for me`
+      (the current user) or :guilabel:`for everyone` and how long it should last.
+   #. A :guilabel:`Reason` for this exception can be added.
+   #. All of this information is logged in the chatter of the :doc:`company record
+      </applications/general/companies>`.
+
+.. tip::
+   To remove the :guilabel:`Lock Everything` date after it has been saved, configure the exception
+   to apply :guilabel:`for everyone` and set the duration to :guilabel:`forever`.
+
+.. _year-end/current-year-earnings:
 
 Current year's earnings
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-Odoo uses a unique account type called **current year's earnings** to display the amount difference
-between the **income** and **expenses** accounts.
+Odoo uses a unique account type called **current year's earnings** to display the difference
+between the **income** and **expense** accounts.
 
 .. note::
    The chart of accounts can only contain one account of this type. By default, it is a 999999
    account named :guilabel:`Undistributed Profits/Losses`.
 
-To allocate the current year's earnings, create a miscellaneous entry to book them to any equity
-account. Once done, confirm whether or not the current year's earnings in the **balance sheet** is
-correctly reporting a balance of zero. If that is the case, set an :guilabel:`All Users Lock Date`
-to the last day of the fiscal year by going to :menuselection:`Accounting --> Accounting --> Lock
-Dates`.
+To allocate the current year's earnings, create a new miscellaneous entry with a date set to the end
+of the fiscal year to book them to any equity account.
+
+Then, verify whether the current year's earnings on the **balance sheet** correctly show a zero
+balance. If so, a :guilabel:`Hard Lock date` can be set to the last day of the fiscal year in
+:menuselection:`Accounting --> Accounting --> Lock Dates`.
 
 .. tip::
-   Install the :guilabel:`Irreversible Lock Date` (`account_lock`) module to make the :guilabel:`All
-   Users Lock Date` *irreversible* once set.
-
-.. note::
-   A specific year-end closing entry is **optional** in order to close out the **profit and loss
-   statement**. The reports are created in real-time, meaning that the profit and loss statement
-   corresponds directly with the year-end date specified in Odoo. Therefore, any time the **income
-   statement** is generated, the beginning date corresponds with the beginning of the **fiscal
-   year** and all account balances should equal zero.
+   The :guilabel:`Hard Lock date` field is irreversible and is intended to ensure data
+   inalterability required to comply with accounting regulations in certain countries. If such
+   compliance is not applicable, setting this field may not be necessary. However, if required, the
+   date should only be set once it is confirmed to be correct, as it **cannot be changed or
+   overridden**, regardless of access rights.